CDR Praises Congressional Passage of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act

CDR Co-Chairs Rob Mosbacher and Mark Green Issued the Following Statement:

"We welcome today's passage of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act by the U.S. House of Representatives.  This legislation places transparency and accountability at the center of U.S. foreign assistance programs, and its implementation will help to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being invested in the best-performing programs with proven results.  Congressman Ted Poe and Senator Marco Rubio deserve particular praise for their leadership in shepherding this legislation through the House and Senate, and to the President's desk.  We also thank Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, and House and Senate leadership for prioritizing the consideration of this important legislation."

Summary of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act

H.R. 3766 would both establish evaluation guidelines for U.S. international development and economic assistance programs and centralize public access to data and reports through the existing ForeignAssistance.gov aid transparency website.. 

Specifically, the legislation would: 1) require the President of the United States to establish and implement uniform monitoring and evaluation guidelines – with measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans – across U.S. international development and economic assistance programs; and 2) require the Secretary of State to ensure the ForeignAssistance.gov website contains detailed information regarding U.S. foreign assistance on a program-by-program and country-by-country basis that is updated quarterly. It would further require that analysis be undertaken by the Government Accountability Office to inform Congress on relevant agencies’ adherence to these benchmarks.